GP1

He was a very nice man who actually cared about his players. He didn't have the required level of sleaze even back then to be successful at the college level.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5916622/2024/11/12/gerry-faust-notre-dame-akron-college-football/

The first word that came in my head was "unbelievable", but then I remembered the endless self destruction.

Cutting is the easiest thing to do. I'd be interested in knowing what the plans for revenue growth are besides destroying the football program. We seem to have destroying the football program down as it is the only successful thing we do with the football program. Looking for new ideas.

I'll see you Jim Tressel and raise you a Jim Grobe. Seriously, Tressel is 71 years old. Luke has a few more million dollar paydays in his future. Akron ain't one of those places.

A cartoon kangaroo should absolutely be part of the marketing efforts with a direct appeal to children.

Sort of. I complain about them padding their resumes with meaningless accomplishments and then moving on to destroy another school.

You are right. Along with the rest of the mac we'll never be able to compete at the highest level. We could complete at a level between FCS and FBS. This level will exist before too long. We should stay right where we are. Also, along with the rest of the MAC well never compete against the highest level of basketball.

It is not. There in lies the problem.

If they won a minute seven games a year wearing only their jockstraps, I'd be okay.

How could they make it less emphasized? Seems almost impossible. What other MAC schools are getting a return on their football investments? At the most, zero. Sounds like we need new blood on the board with a better vision of how an athletic department benefits the athletes students alumni fans and general community around Akron.

It will take a month, minimum, to hire a new AD. The season will be over by then. The new one isn't going to fire Joe on day one. The only way Joe leaves will be on his own in January after coaches turn over.

Any?...No. Enough?....Yes. Akron needs someone younger with a lot of energy and nearly sociopathic about getting the football program turned around. Background at a football first school should be required. Evidence of making an athletic department benefit the athletes students alumni fans and general community around the school required. The football program has carried the weight for far too long. Time to get it turned around.

I don't want someone who is isn't interested in advancing their career. Accomplishments advance careers. Akron needs meaningful accomplishments.

I think he picked up a lot of valuable knowledge about mostly basketball. Akron is participating in very high level college athletics, not the Suburban League. Hiring him as AD would be a monumental mistake probably equal to hiring Dennison as AD in the late 80s.

Joe should get one more season for financial reasons alone. Akron has a sane OOC next season with a chance to gain momentum for a good season. A new coach would be less able to exploit this opportunity and Akron would suffer. Knowing this and with my experience as a Zips fan, I predict Akron will fire Joe after this season, start the endless building process over and miss out on exploiting a favorable schedule next year.

I bought a Nike golf shirt with the new logo on it and the word AKRON under it. The shirt itself is really nice. I found it interesting that they had to tell you what the logo meant underneath of the logo itself. People are supposed to know what the logo means without being told. It never says NIKE under the swoosh. BTW, the logo was very creative......for Arby's.

Good. I had hopes for him, but the lazy decision to schedule OSU on the road after Kentucky paid us $1.0 million to get out of a game was the turning point for me. It was the least creative thing he could have done. Akron needs someone who can get money into the revenue stream some way other than whoring out the football program and make that program better.

He's a retired 66 year old with zero hours logged as an AD. I think it's a little late for him to pick up a new trade.

Looking back, you are correct. I think it was more than willpower.... The University didn't have a single person in it who had any idea what it would take to jump a level. The weight room was in the basement of the basketball arena. The NCAA basically begged Akron not to make the jump by restricting scholarships. Dennison was never the person we needed as AD. There was zero money. The Rubber Bowl was already a mess in 1987. This is a question I would love to have answered. Who was the first person at the University to think hiring Faust and moving up was a good idea? My follow up question would be, who did that person run the idea by and what was was the response? I guess that's two more questions. There had to be a core group of people who thought it was a good idea. Who were they? I wonder if guys like Joe Dunn or Steve French would know this.

I get it. It's plainly obvious to me. The way the program is viewed and managed from the Athletic Director up to and including the President level is not designed to win. They treat the football program as the fundraising arm of the athletic department.

There were hundreds of guys like him working at MAClike schools across the country back then.

I would prefer they focus on scholarship so I prefer the programs such as joint MBA and JD programs. While I think online MBA programs are a joke, corporate America is unnecessary driving it. Most corporate jobs mid level managers and below don't need mbas.

I got mine in 1993 and remember almost nothing. It did help me get jobs in my younger years. I also got a full scholarship so it was very affordable. One of the best hoops I've ever jumped through.

Don't forget low value. Look, I have a masters degree back from when they weren't required. Today, people have them to trick the AI in Workday so your resume moves forward. For universities, masters programs are little more than money grabs adapted to the changing work requirements.